Refrigerator



Aug. 25, 1925. l 1,550,961

W. J. HAWKINS REFRIGERATOR Filed Dec. 12, 1919 ffl INVENTOR www mmf/(m5WM ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 25, 1925.

- bastati WILFORD J7. HAWKINS, OF .'LVIONTCLAIB., NEW JERSEY.

REFRIGERATOR.

Application x'iled December 12, 1919. Serial No. 344,393.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, lVrnroIm J. HAW- KINs, a citizen of the UnitedStates of America, and a resident of Montclair, Essex County, and Stateof New Jersey, have in-` vented certain new and useful Improve ments inRefrigerators, of which the following isa specification, referencebeingl had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

This invention relates to refrigerators, and its object is to provide aself-contained refrigerator and cooling plant of simple and inexpensiveconstruction which is suitable for household use. Another object is toimprove upon the heat insulating properties of refrigerators, and morespecifically to provide in combination with a storage receptacle asurrounding chamber for cooling Huid with another Vacuum space forpreventing the heat of the surrounding air from raising' the temperaturewithin the refrigerator.

These and other objects of the invention will appear in the followingspecification in which I will describe the invention and the novelfeatures of which will be set forth in appended claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a sectional front elevation of a refrigerator which is madeaccording to and embodies this invention together with a refrigeratingapparatus.

Figure 2 is a sectional plan view of the refrigerator.

Figure 3 is a sectional elevation of a pump used as a part of thecooling plant and showing more particularly an auxiliary pumpconstructed as a part thereof.

Like characters of reference designate coi'- responding parts in all thefigures of the drawings.

10 designates a substantially rectangular boX preferably of sheet metalwhich forms a receptacle for food or other desired material. Surroundingthis box but spaced therefrom is another wall 11 which with the wall ofthe receptacle 10 forms an enclosed space for a cooling fluid. A thirdwall 12 spacedy from the wall 11 and surrounding it forms with the wall11 a vacuum space for heat insulation.

The part of the receptacle which is constructed to form an opening isbent back as shown at 13 and welded to a part 14 of the middle wall 11.The middle wall is also bent over, as shown at 15, and welded to a part16 of the outer wall 12. Between the parts 14 and 16, a strip 17 of woodor other non-conducting material is interposed.

20 designates the door, the hinges and fastenings for which may beaiiixed to the insulating strips 17. All of the parts i11- cluding thedoor may be constructed of sheet metal, in which case, the door may behollow and preferably filled with a suitable insulator. Un top of therefrigerator is a refrigerating plant 30.

This may be of any desired form or construction, such for example, asthat which is fully described in the application for patent filed by meherewith, the serial number of which is Serial N o. 344,394, filedDecember 12, 1919.

Briefly, it comprises an electric motor 3l automatically controlled by athermostatic switch 32 within the receptacle 10. The shaft of this motoris connected with a pump and with a fluid pressure motor 34. 35 is a fanon the motor shaft. These parts are enclosed within a space between thebase 36, radiators 37, 38 and a cover 39.

The intake of the pump is connected by a pipe 40 with the upper part ofthe space between the walls of the receptacle 10 and the wall 11. Itsdischarge is connected by a pipe 41 with the upper part of radiator 37.rlhe lower part of this radiator is connected with the upper part ofradiator 38 by a pipe 42. A pipe 43 leads from the lower part ofradiator 38 to the intake of the fluid pressure motor 34 which exhauststhrough a pipe 44 into the lower part of the space between the walls 10and 11. 45 is a drain cock from this space.

rlfhe upper part of the pump 33 is shown in Figure 3 and comprises apiston 50 arranged for a reciprocatory and oscillatory movement. It issometimes desirable in connection with such apparatus as that disclosedherein to have an auxiliary pump arranged for the purpose or maintainingthe vacuum in the space betwen the walls 11 and 12. It may-be done inthe simple manner shown in Figure 3 by providing a special cylinder head51 for the pump 33 which special cylinder head is constructed to form acylinder and aflixing to the piston 50 a piston extension 52.

|The cylinder head 51 is constructed with an intake port 53 connected bya pipe 54 with the vacuum space. 55 is a check Valve in this pipe. Thecylinder head is also provided with an exhaust port 56 open to the air.In the piston extension 52 is a port and passage 57 which communicatealternately with the intake and exhaustports in this auxiliary cylinderand with the upper end of this cylinder. y

The refrigerator shown herein is especially eliicient in that the vacuumchamber between the walls l1 and l2 form a highly effective insulatingmeans. The hinges and fastenings for the door 2O are carefully designedto prevent any heat radiation through them. Even when no cooling fluidisused between the walls l0 and 1l, the separation of these walls formsa dead air space which is also a non-conductor of heat.

It is especially desirable, however, to have a cooling fluid from whichthe heat is abstracted by the refrigerating apparatus 30 surround thereceptacle itself in the manner which is disclosed herein. Furthermore,this whole arrangement is simple and inexpensive.

The particular arrangement described is shown for the purpose ofillustrating one of the ways of utilizing this invention, but manymodifications of construction and arrangement of parts may be madewithin the spirit and scope of the invention, and I intend nolimitations other than those imposed by the appended claims.

vWhat I cla-im is:

l. A refrigerator comprising a plurality of nested shells in spacedrelation forming spaces between said shells, unitary automatic means forcirculating a cooling medium through certain of said spaces and forevacuating other of said spaces.

2. A refrigerator constructed of a sheet metal wall arranged to form areceptacle with a door opening, a second sheet metal wall surroundingbut spaced from the wall of the receptacle arranged to form therewith anenclosed space for a cooling medium, and a third sheet metal wallsurrounding but spaced from the. second wall, arranged to form with thesecond wall a vacuum space, combined with a pump for circulating acooling medium in the space between the receptacle wall and the secondwall, and an auxiliary pump for maintaining a vacuum in the spacebetween the second and third walls and mganrsrespon iveto thetemperatitn1e..in 1;hfewreceptaclefr'` controlling the operation of saidpumps.

3. A refrigerator constructed of a sheet metal wall arranged to form areceptacle with a door opening, a second sheet metal wall surroundingbut spaced from the wall of the receptacle arranged to forni therewithan enclosed space for a cooling` medium, and a third sheet metal wallsurrounding hut spaced from the second wall, arranged to form with thesecond wall a vacuum space, heat insulating material interposed betweenthe walls near the door opening, and a door secured to said material,combined with a pump for circulating a cooling medium in the spacebetween the receptacle wall and the second wall, and an auxiliary pumpfor maintaining a vacuum in the space between the second and third wallsand temperature responsive means within thc receptacle for controllingthe operation of said pumps.

-ll Means for preserving goods at a temperature unlike-the temperatureof the atmosphere comprising a receptacle, a structure constructed toform a vacuum space around the receptacle, a second structureconstructed to form a second space around the receptacle, means forcirculating a medium through the second space for maintaining a desiredtemperature therein, means responsive to temperature changes in thereceptacle for operating the circulating means, and means operatedsimultaneously with the circulating means for evacuating the vacuumspace.

5, Means for preserving goods at a temperature unlike atmospherictemperature comprising a receptacle, means for circulating a mediumhaving the non-atmospheric temperature, a structure forming a vacuumspace for insulating the receptacle, means for evacuating said space,and temperature responsive means adapted to control the operation ofboth the circulating means and the evacuating means.

G. ln combination, a receptacle, a structure arranged to form a vacuumspace around the receptacle, means for changing the ten'iperature withinthe receptacle, means for exhausting the vacuum space and temperatureresponsive means in the receptacle for controlling the operation of saideX- hausting means, and said temperature changing means.

ln witness whereof, I hereunto set my hand this 9th day of December,1919.

VILFORD J. HAWKINS.

